Room Mate
by Han Min Chan
Summary: What happens when you’re given a chance to share a room with a cold, sexy Natsume Hyuuga? Eternal damnation for Mikan Sakura. She gets to see him every day, eat with him every day and sleep with him every day. She’s afraid to fall, every day that is.
1. My freedom is taken

_Disclaimer applied._

_I've decided to revise the story, so I have to re-edit the chapters. Please understand and thank you._

-

-

"W-wh-wha—" Brown orbs widened in horror and shock. Wait, there was actually no adjective to describe such horror and shock.

"Please speak coherently, Mikan-chan." A kind, manly voice whispered as sweat trickled down his forehead.

"Bu-but, Narumi-sensei, why? _Why_?"

"Mikan-chan, please under—, no, you _have_ to understand. This is for your safety. He can _protect_ you."

"I can protect myself, thank you. And safety? How can I be safe when I'm with this man? _How_? There must be some other way. Please, please, I don't _want_ to be with him! I'll mop the floors, clean the restrooms, wash the dishes, give my virginity but please not this!"

"Calm down, Mi—"

"Why this _jerk_?" She yelled, pointing a finger at a man who held a passive, unmoved look. There she was, her world suddenly stopped spinning, her life jailed by eternal damnation. While there he was, sitting on a chair, his cheek on his palm, watching her world crumble and seemed like enjoying every minute of it. His smirk, irking the brunette.

"—kan-chan. This is an order. You—"

"I have to share a room with this jerk, see him everyday, eat with him everyday, bathe with him everyday, _sleep_ with him everyday, have s—"

"--have no choice but to follow orders from the academy."

"Why him… Of all people, why does it have to be—" She clenched her fists. She threw an annoyed glance at the smirking jerk. Oh how she hated that smirk with hatred and so much passion.

"Mikan, please." Narumi pleaded. He gently placed a hand at her shoulder.

"—Natsume Hyuuga." She dropped her gaze, her head followed. She scornfully spurned Narumi's hand away.

Mikan was trembling visibly. She was mad, enraged even.

"Mikan-chan, relax."

"I won't…" Mikan slowly raised her head, her brown eyes darker. She backed away, with one step, then two. Steps increased.

"I WON'T AGREE TO THIS!" Then she ran off sightlessly only to trip herself, face first on the floor.

And then, he laughed. Natsume laughed.

_My freedom is taken. Now, my shame. _Mikan got to her feet as rapidly as she fell and ran off again sightlessly, though not as fast as she wanted it to be.

-

-

_**this is**_

**R o **_o m __**M a **_t e

(in blinding neon lights plus fireworks in the background.)

-

**Chapter 1: **_My freedom is taken_

-

"Natsume, please do follow her." Narumi turned around sharply to look at the boy, who was still soothing silently on the chair, his eyes emotionless.

Natsume only raised one eyebrow before saying, "I don't take orders from you, you ass."

But he stood anyway, ready to go.

Narumi only smiled, instantly understanding the boy's actions.

"Stop grinning. I'm not following that idiot."

"Natsume-_kun_, you're so cold." Narumi said teasingly, adding an affectionate suffix to upset the boy.

"Shut up."

And with that, he left.

Narumi shook his head. _I can clearly see your weak spot, darling. _

-

-

Natsume impetuously raked a hand across his dark, sexy locks as he scanned the area, shifting his eyes one place to another. He was losing his patience.

"This is fucking bothersome." He drawled.

He ventured around the campus and commenced the bothersome manhunt.

It was a given fact that Mikan Sakura couldn't be far off since, she accidentally tripped herself over, rather comically, or so he thinks.

He veered off the corner and BOOM! a young man was sent flying, his face met wall and the wall cracked, plus his face. The young man muttered a curse, blood oozing from his nose.

Standing up, he slowly turned around. In the process, the young man growled hotly, "Hey asshole! Watch where you're go-go-goi-…" The young man paled after seeing Natsume Hyuuga. Horror struck his eyes. He immediately got down on his knees and begged for mercy and prayed to heaven that he wouldn't be sent to hell as early as planned. "Na-Natsume-sama, forgive me, forgive me for being in your majestic way. Please, please. I'm an asshole. Yes, I am. I'll do anything, anything! Just don't kill me." The young man pleaded with all his heart, bowing his head repeatedly, once or twice hitting the floor.

"Where's Mikan Sakura?" Hyuuga asked.

Salvation. It seemed that Kami-sama heard the young man's prayer and sent an angel to protect him from death. It was really a good thing that he came across Mikan Sakura awhile ago.

"I s-saw her go off that direction. I th-think she's he-headed to the rooftop."

Natsume did not waste any time and definitely did not waste any of his precious saliva to thank the young man who was already palpitating due to fear and terror. Come to think of it, he isn't _that_ well-mannered, is he?

He expertly climbed a couple of stairs until he reached the door which led to the rooftop. He wanted to kick it open but did otherwise, bracing his hand on the doorknob, he turned it and swung the door rashly.

Light streamed in his eyes. And ah, Mikan Sakura.

_There you are. _

-

-

Mikan Sakura spun around abruptly as the door suddenly opened.

Surprise and shock materializing in her pretty brown orbs.

"You…what the heck are you _doing_ here?" Mikan asked, irritation present in her voice.

"What a coincidence. I happened to drop by." Natsume drawled sexily, with droplets of sarcasm evident.

He approached her.

Natsume stopped when they were already face to face. His eyes stared directly into hers, cold and intense.

Oh, how he was mesmerized by those pretty, pretty and innocent brown eyes.

But she looked defiantly back at him and said, "I hate you."

Alas, don't be cruel, don't be.

"So do I." He retorted.

"Bastard!"

"Give me a reason why you don't want me to be your room mate." He seized small strands of long, silky brown hair. "Be sensible."

Mikan gulped and shifted her eyes to the side, avoiding his intense gaze. She tried to think of sensible reasons, really, but this sudden proximity plus his gaze added up to the pressure.

She calmed herself down and thought of very witty and sensible reasons. This wouldn't be hard after all, it just so happened that cons outweighed the pros when it comes to Natsume Hyuuga.

_Reason 1: First and foremost, he's a horny, horny pervert. I might end up getting raped or worse, become his sex slave! Kyaaa!_

_Reason 2: He's a cold, selfish bastard. _

_Reason 3: Sweet Jesus, I'm still young to be imprisoned by this eternal damnation! My freedom is taken and I'm only 16 years old for Pete's sake. I'm going to die young! _

_Reason 4: I…I don't want him to get hurt because of me. _

_Reason 5: I'm scared, scared of falling knowing that he'll only watch me fall, deny me, reject my feelings! _

Mikan shook her head frantically. _What am I thinking? _

Overdramatically formulated reasons, god. Scratch that. Those are reality.

She clenched her fists and looked at him determinedly, "I hate you because…you're a pervert! You might harass me! I'm young, fresh and a virgin. And you, you're still under aged to get to jail! No justice for me."

"Thank you for worrying about my welfare but you're not being reasonable, polka-dots." He purred, twirling her long strands in his fingers. "You only think of yourself. Stop being _selfish_, honey. You're not the only one who doesn't like this _shit_."

"W-what?"

"I don't like it either." Natsume tugged her hair down to lift her face up. "But I don't have a choice, do I?"

He neared his face close to hers. The closeness brought a bright blush to the brunette's pretty cheeks.

"Fine. I'll agree." Mikan finally submitted. "Just, just keep your distance. And one more thing…"

"What?"

"Don't fall in love with me."

Natsume stiffened.

Mikan stared.

A thick, gauche silence filled up the scene.

But of course, you know Natsume, he can cover up any manifestation of his weakness. He simply smirked, withdrew sluggishly then faced his back to her.

He looked up to the sky,

_ZOOM IN!_ _Red deadly orbs, muddled._

Mikan waited for a reply.

_ZOOM IN!_ _Brown upheaval orbs, hopeful yet sad._

Alas, don't be cruel, don't be.

"As if I would." He stated, chuckling bleakly after.

Mikan's eyes dropped. Of course, it _hurt_ to assume. But, she was human after all.

"Because, I already did." He added in a murmur, though it was too faint for her to hear.

Mikan shrugged her feelings, disappointments and eventually regained her composure.

"It's a deal then." She chirped.

"Aa."

-

-

A pair of cerulean eyes scanned the area. Those eyes, deep like the ocean. Be careful not to drown.

Those eyes. There was something off. It was _eerie_.

Peculiar.

Green pupils. Blue irises. So captivating, yet so surreal. Alarmingly stunning.

A young man in school uniform –a black suit with all the buttons unfastened, a white collared shirt underneath it and black slack pants –stood at the rooftop of a building.

He was eyeing a certain brunette from the other building.

His lips curved into a crooked grin.

"Target locked." He licked his lips sensuously.

Green pupils became vivid, dominating blue. A sign of desire. A sign of lust. A sign of love.

"I want _her_ heart."

Two bodies stood beside him, like antique statues waiting for a bird to poo. Rigid. Stiff.

"Affirmative." They said in monotone.

-

-

_**this is**_

**R o **_o m __**M a **_t e

_See you next time! _

_Please do review. Thank you._


	2. Just don't hate me

_Disclaimer applied._

_For those__ of you who are anticipating for my next update, my regular updates would be, more or less, 2 weeks since it takes me two weeks before I could actually finish one Korean drama and currently, I am watching Goong. I love writing, but I love to watch more. So there you have it. ^^V  
_

_This story is set after six years, by the way._

-

-

-

The door slowly, painfully opened. The thrill, anticipation, excitement and adrenaline finishing in. Her heart pounded along with the improvised beat of the drumrolls her mind had _creatively_ created.

Real drumrolls, please.

The sound of angels singing, please.

Fire cracking sounds, please.

And now, welcome to hell.

Here's your sweet, sinful, corruptive hell, Mikan Sakura.

Oh how she wanted to faint.

Coz, baby, she loved hell.

-

-

_HEADS UP! Mikan—chibi-form, in a pink chiffon dress—holding a banner, it says:_

this

is

_R__**O**_**O**M_M_**ATE **

(Smileys and hearts background)

-

-

**Chapter 2:** _Just Don't Hate Me_

_-  
_

It was inexplicable, the bizarre, _bizarre_ room of Natsume Hyuuga.

In all honesty, in all points of view and in Mikan Sakura's important opinon, Natsume Hyuuga's room, to such extent, has no proper and definite right to be called a room. Give due respect to other lowly, _unprivileged_ rooms please, respect. Set Mikan Sakura's room as an example of the other lowly, unprivileged rooms. Why? Because of the obvious reason that, Natsume's room isn't a room to begin with! Where's the _justice_ in the world? It's a house, sweet Jesus, a _house_!

Let me give concrete proofs to justify the facts. First off, it was a huge, massive room where it can fit a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, an entertainment room, a fireplace, a bathroom and of course _the_ bedroom. Oh, there were also hallways plus a flight of stairs. Seems small to you? Well, wait until you see Mikan's room, where she experienced the happiness of only having a bed, a shower room and the company of rats, spiders and ants. These facts aren't exaggerated at all, what more if it was. Believe me, all this was an understatement.

And yes, it was inexplicable, the bizarre, bizarre reaction of Mikan Sakura.

Her eyes bulged, her shoulders shook, her hands shook, her knees shook, her toes shook and most of all, her jaw dropped almost way down to the floor but unfortunately her hands caught it in the process. These facts aren't exaggerated at all, what more if it was. Believe me, all this, an understatement.

It was really jaw-dropping, what Mikan saw.

Mikan froze in place. It was her first time to actually see an overly sized room here in the academy. She was accustomed to seeing 15x15 meter rooms, like hers, and of course, since this room was something she uncommonly witnesses, she pathetically drooled and pathetically gawked.

The room was monochromatic, a dull scene of black and white. _Just like his expressions, _Mikan thought. White ceilings, white walls, black curtains, black pieces of furniture and a shiny, shimmery black marble floor. The living room was lavishly designed with two black modern sofas across each other, a cream elegant sofa in between, plus a dark coffee table with glossy black jars on top at the center. Java lamps brightly lit up the dull colors of the room, presenting a warm, welcoming vibe.

Mikan delved deeper into the interior of the room, amazedly examining the kitchen that was full of stainless steel appliances. _Just like his heart,_ she thought.

Next to the kitchen was the dining room. A stroke of loneliness packed the room emphasized by the long dining table that separated the two major dining chairs. _Just like the distance…between us, _Mikan sulkily construed.

Natsume leaned silently on the door frame the whole time, silently observing the brunette who was engulfed in astonishment and incredulity.

He, too, was engulfed, slowly and wonderfully, by her—everything, anything about her.

Mikan spun around.

She grinned idiotically.

Natsume thought she had lost her mind but he was nonetheless, engulfed.

Then she bit sarcastically, "Wow, I never knew that rooms have _hallways_ nowadays, take note of the s."

Then she laughed that _boisterous_ laugh.

Natsume, an educated boy as he was, chose to ignore the sarcasm which was a _compliment _in disguise. Instead, he advanced inside his room, dragging along the luggage of his new sarcastic roommate, the wheels scraping along that shiny, shimmery marble floor.

He had one thing in mind though as he walked past her.

Natsume was engulfed, slowly and wonderfully by her—everything, anything about her, _except_ for two things: her sarcastic remarks and her _boisterous_ laugh that rang and rang inside his eardrums.

-

-

"_The preparations are complete, Headmaster-sama. Sakura-san is now under the supervision of Hyuuga-san."_

"_Good. But are you assured that, Hyuuga-san will perform his duties well?" The headmaster grabbed the pen lying on his table. _

"_Of course, of course."  
_

"_Great." He nodded._

"…"

"_Do you have any information about the organization, Narumi-san?" _

"_Nada, Headmaster-sama. However, there has been a rumor that the organization was previously led by the mother of Sakura-san." Narumi stated seriously._

"_I see. That must be one reason why they need Sakura-san." The headmaster spun the pen with his hands._

"_Hai."_

"_Does Sakura-san know about this?"  
_

"_Well, partly. She does know about the possible attack of the organization. But she doesn't know that she's the target."_

"_Why didn't you tell her the truth?" The pen stopped spinning._

"_Mikan, I mean, Sakura-san might not fully comply with us if she knew she's being targeted. Sakura-san does not wish to imperil her friends for her sake."_

_The headmaster resumed in twirling the pen across his fingers. "Wakarimashita. You may leave."_

"_Hai." Narumi bowed his head and left._

_The headmaster whirled the rotating chair and faced the wall. _

"_Jigoku Society…"_

-

-

"WHAT? THIS IS OUR _ROOM_?" Mikan Sakura drawled in a sarcastic tone.

"Oh, no need to thank me." Natsume returned the sarcasm.

"That's not what I _meant_!"

"Then what do you mean?"

"What I mean is, are you pointing out, that I'm going to sleep here from now on, with _you_? My conscience can not obviously permit that!"

"Yes. So?"

"So."

"So?"

"Argh!"

Mikan sighed. She eyed the bedroom with absolute displeasure. Not because of the black terracotta tiles, nor the king sized bed revamped with black bed sheets and red pillows, nor the cherry blossoms lamp that signified her last name, nor the two black recliners she had desired to recline on, nor the plasma TV, nor the gaming consoles, nor the other high-tech stuff lurking inside his bedroom.

Mikan was absolutely displeased with the fact that she will truly and surely and definitely share a room with the notorious Black Cat, the infamous Natsume Hyuuga.

It was awkward, embarrassing even.

She's young and a virgin.

And he's young and a pervert.

Her eyes widened.

Brown orbs flashing.

"I can't sleep here. I can sleep anywhere but not here, with _you_, especially. You might harass me." Mikan said.

"Stop putting malice into this. But if you really insist then, I won't stop you. Go sleep on the sofa." Natsume said flatly.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY? You ill-mannered, rude, boorish pig! You're not a gentleman! How dare you let me sleep on the sofa while you're enjoying the benefits of that king size bed?"

"Did you forget? Or do you have some kind of memory loss illness? You just said you can sleep anywhere." He said, his tone scarcely changing.

"Uhh…well, you are still not a gentleman. You're ill-mannered! You're rude! You're boorish! And I _hate_ you!"

Natsume's spine jolted disturbingly.

Mikan turned to leave but, a hand shot up and grabbed a hold of her wrist.

He spun her gently to see her face.

He leaned closer, examining her features, most especially her eyes, those brown, brown orbs.

"Fine. I'll sleep on the sofa. You, sleep here. Just don't—"

"Na-Natsume-kun, I'm sor—" Her heart sped up. Those crimson eyes looked dangerously at hers, enticing her, alluring her.

"Just don't…"

"…"

Natsume's eyes darkened.

"Just don't…pee on my _sheets_." He smirked.

Mikan frowned. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

"…" Natsume grunted.

"Just kidding." Mikan beamed cheekily. "Anyway, thank you, Natsume-kun."

"Tch."

A scowl crumpled his beautiful features. _Just don't hate me._

-

-

_HEADS UP! Natsume—chibi-form, in a black cat costume—holding a banner, it says:_

Thank you very much for reading.

SEE YOU NEXT TIME!

this

is

_R__**O**_**O**M_M_**ATE **

(Smileys and hearts background)

-

-


	3. Magnetic love, drown and save

_Disclaimer applied._

_Thank you so much for putting my story to your story alerts and favorites. Also, thank you for the lovely reviews. To repay your kindness, I present to you the next chapter of Roommate! _

_On a side note, if you've got time or just too bored, please do read my other stories entitled _**Into the New World** _and _**Escapism.** _Shameless plugger on the loose. LOL. _

-

-

Big fluffy pillows, smooth thin sheets and a feathery mattress. That's the road to heaven, boy.

Mikan Sakura was experiencing the euphoria of seventh heaven as she plummeted into that drugged-like wonder. Her senses tingling—every cell, every atom of her body reacted with the heavy dosage that bed was generating. Her head was cloudily hazed as the waves of slumber seeped in. Her body shutting down all its defenses, surrendering in a complete peaceful slumber.

Oh lala, feel seventh heaven. It's calming, peaceful. It's serene, relaxing. Come feel seventh heaven. It's calling out to you.

Do you know where heaven is?

It's right here, _right here_.

And there Mikan was, the _fallen_ angel.

Finally reaching her home.

The fallen angel, dreaming of forbidden dreams, a forbidden love. A love between two opposite entities, two different creatures, two different worlds.

A forbidden love—an angel and demon love.

She's the angel.

He's the demon.

Who's he?

She doesn't know but her heart does.

-

-

_HEADS UP! Mikan—chibi-form, in an angel costume—was up in the sky with clouds arranged in a way that says:_

this

is

**R O O M M A T E**

**-**

**-**

**Chapter 3: **_The magnetic love, drown and save_

-

-

Eyebrows furrowed in frustration, red eyes focused on to the ceiling, concentrating to sleep.

Natsume tried, he _really_ tried, to put himself to sleep but unfortunately to no avail. He had been counting sheep, supposedly from one to one hundred, though he stopped at around 2 percent before completion due to utter frustration toned with inhumane growls.

He wondered how he was situated in this kind of situation in the first place. Everything was limited—lying on a sofa, limited space, limited pillows, limited ventilation, limited comfort, limited sleep. Then he remembered.

_Just don't hate me._

Ah, he was sparing his love, but not sparing himself.

It was hard to imagine that before, he was the _master_ of this room. He owned everything, and everything was his—the living room, the dining room, the bathroom, the bedroom, the bed, the pillows, the mattress. However, in a snap, with those bitter words, with her bitter expression, slowly, everything that was his was being taken away by her—_his_ bedroom, _his_ bed, _his_ pillows, _his_ mattress.

Mikan Sakura was taking everything, including his _heart_.

_Ah, just don't hate me…_

"I'll give you everything." Natsume mumbled to himself.

Now, he was at ease. He thought of a wonderful plan that will successfully give him a well-deserved sleep. Instead of counting sheep, he imagined Mikan Sakura dressed in a bunny outfit. Natsume started counting. One Mikan bunny, two, three and so on. Mikan bunnies multiplied imaginatively. Reaching a hundred, he eventually had a good night's sleep.

Even in his dreams, bunnies still invaded him.

-

-

Streams of light slithered through the wide panels of the full-length windows, the rays reaching Mikan Sakura, disturbing her past-due-doze. She grunted irritably and rolled to her side, attempting to return to her peaceful slumber when it suddenly hit her—she has _classes_ to attend to.

Her body instantly sprung up, her eyes wide open, her hair wild and messy, and her mind strived to register the surroundings. This isn't her room! No pink bed, no pink sheets, no pink pillows, no pink walls, no pink everywhere! The walls were white, the floor was black, red pillows, black sheets, black bed. Then another fact had hit her—starting today, she'll be waking up inside this room, inside _Natsume's_ room.

"Oh! Now I remember…" She face-palmed herself for almost forgetting yesterday.

Mikan wondered if Natsume was still sleeping. She really did not expect Natsume to sacrifice his own comfort and luxury to give his bed solely to her, just to make sure she'll have relaxation and repose. She got up quickly, outstretched her arms, and had some warming up before leaving the bedroom to find Natsume. She went to the living room to see if he was there only to find none. Pouting in dismay, she moved to other parts of the room but Natsume was nowhere to be seen.

_That jerk, he didn't even care to wait for me. Stuck-up bastard!_

Mikan sighed and conceded searching. It was always like this. Just when she was starting to like and appreciate Natsume, she discovers something unlikeable and ends up hating him again. Adding up to her anxiety, she saw a nearby clock hanging on the wall.

7: 40 AM

She blinked once.

Then twice.

Then thrice until she can not blink anymore.

An ear-piercing, ear-splitting scream shook the campus viciously.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

-

-

Footsteps, running.

Mikan Sakura was running briskly along the corridors, swiftly making her way towards the remotely far flung classroom.

"I'm going to be lateeeeeeee!" Mikan cried out.

She ran and ran and another ran. Whatever the case is, she shouldn't be late again for class or else she'll have supervised work and how she hated more than anything in the world to meet face to face that lame excuse of a teacher who was in fact a frog-face, Jino-sensei, and receive a lot of lectures about punctuality and related matters. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, NATSUME! IF I EVER SEE THAT STUCK-UP FACE OF YOURS, I'LL DESTROY YOUR DEMONIC FACE AND CRUSH THAT PEARLY WHITE TEETH SO THAT YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO SMIRK EVER AGAIN. MARK THAT, JERK!" She vehemently cursed the boy behind his back, enunciating word per word with every step she took, she can feel the boldness and capslock of every word.

Oh boy, can you feel the rage? Can you feel the evilness?

Why blame Natsume Hyuuga when it was her fault anyway? Poor Natsume, evil Mikan.

"SHUT UP, YOU! YOU BIASED AUTHOR!"

Oh ho, how dare she disrespect the almighty author, the _law_ here in this story who can control everything? I'll bump your head on the wall, and bump the wall she did.

-

-

Natsume Hyuuga, on the other hand—sat comfortably on his chair, his feet lying on top of the desk, reading comfortably his favorite manga entitled "Futari Ecchi"—began sneezing riotously.

"Achu." Even though he sneezed, it was still expressionless, monotone.

Some of his saliva and flu landed on the faces of the fan girls suspiciously lurking around a ten-inch radius. The fan girls didn't mind saliva landing on their faces, in fact, they got all giddy and horny all of a sudden. It was Natsume's saliva landing on their faces, man, Natsume's _saliva_. It's like, getting licked by Natsume's tongue, man, Natsume's _tongue_! They've decided not to take a bath for a week or so to keep Natsume's precious saliva in tact and safe on their faces. A memorabilia, so to speak.

Natsume rubbed his nose. Maybe, someone remembered him. More like, an intense, killing aura that wanted to punch that stuck-up face and crush his pearly white teeth so that he won't be able to smirk ever again reached him and triggered his senses.

His nose flared, a sign for another sneeze, a sign that the intense, killing aura was near. He fought back the sneeze, not wanting another round of saliva and flu shooting out. For him, sneezing was a symbol of _vulnerability_. And he has a pride to save.

Yes, his nose was right. The intense, killing aura was definitely there on the classroom door, lingering for a moment before slowly, dangerously stepping closer toward Natsume Hyuuga.

Mikan Sakura.

Auburn hair defying gravity, becoming spiky. Dark, murky swirls became her background. Her eyes turning red accentuated with black specks. Her nails grew longer, like claws. Her nose and ears exhaled clouds of smoke. She was possessed by her evil side.

It was like, uh, like _woah_.

"RAWR." Mikan roared.

Natsume looked amusedly at the approaching figure. If it weren't for the hair, he wouldn't be able to recognize Mikan. She totally transformed into a full-fledge demon. But he had to admit, she was _cute_, in an evil way.

She stopped in front of him, her fangs grew visibly as she opened her mouth in rage. "NATSU—"

"Achu." Great timing. He sneezed right in front of her face, his precious spits, saliva and virus spluttering on her face, on her body. GOAL!

She stared into nothingness.

The floor vibrated terribly, a seismic activity set off.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Heave Ho.

Mikan Sakura miraculously returned to her original form and smiled suspiciously, too _suspiciously_. "Natsume-kun," She drew nearer, inching closer, her hands twitching in a strange manner, too _strange_. "DO YOU WANT TO SEE HEAVEN, HUH?" Small hands with an unbelievably strong grip strangled Natsume's precious, unscathed neck. Instantaneously, she transformed yet again into her evil side, brown-turned-red sinister eyes blazed with killing intent.

The fan girls within a ten-inch radius panicked and screamed in horror. Right before their eyes, their prince, their _majestic_, prince was being murdered, harmed by the profane hands of the evil monkey-turned-ape Mikan Sakura. Nevertheless, even though they desired to help and save the prince from grave danger, their lives were far more important since this so-called evil monkey-turned-ape Mikan Sakura can eat and bury anyone alive who interrupted her plans.

No matter how painful it seemed to see those profane hands claw their prince's neck, Natsume didn't look hurt or harmed at all. He even had the guts to mock the ape, I mean, Mikan Sakura. "I want to see more of your panties rather than heaven."

Mikan's undistinguishable face turned bright red, smoke flared out of her 'wide cave holes', in short, nostrils. Her evil transformation notched another level, the "Super Sayan Mode".

"Oh wait, I guess, seeing your panties is _heaven_." He added.

"NATSUME, YOU PERVERT!" Her grip on his neck tightened as she choked the poor boy.

As the strangulation became more serious, Natsume glared dreadfully at Mikan. "Oi, baka! Stop now. Do you want to be imprisoned?"

"HAHAHA. HELL YEAH! AS LONG AS I SEE ON THE HEADLINES: 'REST IN PEACE NATSUME HYUUGA; CAUSE OF DEATH: STRANGULATION' BWAHAHA!" She laughed _that_ boisterous laugh.

"Why are you trying to kill me, anyway?"

"REVENGE. I AM AN AVENGER."

"Revenge is not an option."

"REALLY, NOW? MY SOUL WILL NEVER FIND ITS PEACE AFTER WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I WAS ALMOST LATE FOR CLASS! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOATHED JINO-SENSEI'S SALIVA PROJECTILES LANDING ON MY FACE, ON MY SKIN WHENEVER HE LECTURES ABOUT THAT DAMNED PUNCTUALITY?"

"It's your fault, not mine."

"Well, why didn't you wake me up? Worse, you didn't even wait for me." She toned down a bit, her hyper stature diminishing, sadness dawning.

"Am I obliged to do that?" His red eyes locked with brown orbs.

"No. But, still—"

He interrupted. "I can never act the way you wanted me to be, Mikan. You know that."

Wide brown eyes stared. Yeah, it hit her hard. She was expecting too much from this man, which was a bad move from the very start. Her grip around his neck loosened, eventually letting go. "Yes, I know. But at least, you could have been considerate enough since I'm adjusting and all. I guess, I'm expecting too much, eh?"

Red orbs broadened slightly but not that perceptible.

Mikan's face fell, brown strands falling over her face. "I was hoping you would _wait_ for me, we go _together_. Maybe, it was too much for me to ask."

Then she looked at him with those sad eyes, emotions of disappointment, of _sadness_.

Natsume clenched his jaw. For some odd reason, he felt the sadness, the disappointment but only for a split second.

"Settle down, settle down. Classes will start." Narumi-sensei announced, clapping his hands to draw the attention of his students.

Mikan turned to leave and went to her seat.

-

-

_Earlier that day. _

_Natsume Hyuuga woke up early, as early as the sun shined for the world to see. Same routine. Get up. Survive. Sleep. He was getting tired. However, the sun shined more brightly today, and today was the start of something…interesting. And to say that Natsume was interested was an overstatement. It was just the closest word that could least describe what he was feeling. Today signified a change of his routine._

_A different routine from now on. Get up. Piss Mikan. Survive. Piss Mikan more. Sleep. _

_Exciting, isn't it? Mikan Sakura makes the sun shine a lot brighter than before. _

_Mikan Sakura is Natsume's source of excitement._

_He got up, his back aching from the pre-longed uncomfortable position he was in as he slept like that for hours on the limited space of the sofa. But he didn't care less. Step one of his routine, accomplished. _

_Now, on to pissing Mikan. Probably by now, she was already awake and all set to be pissed, he presumed._

_Natsume inconspicuously entered the bedroom, advancing to the bed as discreetly as possible. _

_He found what he was looking for, there, the figure lying on the bed, Mikan Sakura, sleeping soundlessly, like a baby. _

_When Natsume saw that face, of beauty and of splendor, all at once, his plans crumbled. _

_Pissing Mikan? _

_Gone with the wind._

_Natsume forgot everything. Even how to breathe. She was heavenly, angelic. It was as if she didn't belong here. A creature of perfection (regardless of the idiocy, of course). A fallen angel who lost her wings. As he approached further, the more he was suffocating. Looking at her was such a pain. He was completely breathless, that sight, a spectacle of heaven and paradise. He unconsciously ingested every part of her, etching perfectly every detail of her eyes, her nose, her lips, her face. _

_He yearned to touch her, that angelic face. But he was the demon. She's the angel. And such love was forbidden. _

_Worse, she wouldn't let him. _

Don't fall in love with me.

_All he could do was watch from afar. However, he was willing to wait. He was willing to break the boundaries. No limitations. No restrictions. Just one word from her, just one sign from her—that she'll like him back, he will take the risk. Even the sky couldn't stop him. He'll surpass the sky, his limit. If only Mikan would allow him. _

_For now, all he could do was to watch from afar. And wait. Yes. Because, waiting is everything._

"_Sleep well."_

-

-

Dismissal time.

Mikan gathered up her things and was promptly set to leave. Subtly glancing at Natsume's place, she hoped to see that he was still there, though, she also expected he wasn't there either. And the latter, was absolutely right. Ding! Ding! Ding! He left, without a doubt.

"_I can never act the way you wanted me to be, Mikan. You know that."_

Mikan sighed disdainfully and headed to depart the classroom. Unbeknownst, a sleek figure leaned casually on the wall beside the doorway waiting for her outside, his hands behind his raven-haired head.

As she passed the doorway, a deep, throaty voice greeted her nonchalantly. "Yo."

Mikan's spine stiffened as if lightning had stricken her. She edgily spun her head toward the voice, followed by her whole body. "I-I thought you left." She said matter-of-factly.

Natsume Hyuuga, the owner of the deep, throaty voice, snorted. "Obviously, I didn't."

Mikan pouted. As expected, he answered precisely like how a typical arrogant sarcastic bastard should answer. Typical.

Wrenching himself automatically off of the wall, Natsume grabbed a hold of Mikan's wrist and dragged her along to his unknown destination. "Let's go."

Obliging reluctantly, she followed, letting him lead her. "Whe-where are you taking me, anyway?" She asked, perplexed, the pout still lingering on her face.

"Buy an alarm clock." Answered Natsume, the tone, static.

"What for?"

"So you wouldn't be late."

"Oh." That was all Mikan could utter as she gawked intensely at Natsume's back. Following him as he continued to hauled her, Mikan couldn't take her eyes off that sexy, sexy back. Her body feeling peculiarly strange like she was being drawn by a magnet.

Though, she has got to stop before it's too late and though she didn't want to admit it, she realized something.

_I am starting to like Natsume Hyuuga's back. _

-

-

A series of gigantic computer machines existed inside a research/computer room, obese tubes connecting networks and computers alike to the main computer program.

A huge computer screen flashed an image of a raven-haired guy, sets of actual data about that person were presented below the image.

**JIGOKU SOCIETY MAIN COMPUTER PROGRAM  
TOP PRIORITY**

**Target Number: **2009-13241**  
Name:** Natsume Hyuuga**  
Age:** 16**  
Alice:** Fire Alice**  
Type:** Dangerous ability**  
Mission: **Natsume Hyuuga is the current guardian of Mikan Sakura. Eliminate him at once. Complete the mission within 2400 hours.

The huge screen flashed another image, this time, a picture of a girl, sets of data were presented below the image.

**JIGOKU SOCIETY MAIN COMPUTER PROGRAM  
TOP PRIORITY  
**

**Target Number: **2009-13242**  
Name:** Mikan Sakura**  
Age:** 16**  
Alice:** Nullifying Alice**  
Type:** Special ability**  
Mission: **Capture Mikan Sakura alive. Destroy all hindrances. Complete the mission within 2400 hours.

Hollow azure eyes stared intently at the huge screen. Those eyes, deep like the ocean. Be careful not to drown.

_**Please log out to avoid data loss. **_

-

-

Mikan apprehensively eyed the merchandises with great enthusiasm. From left to right, her head giddily shifted from side to side. Her eyes were shimmering in an oddly starry-zombie-like way. How she naively adored the Pikachu alarm clock which awakens the owner by multiple thundershocks, or the panda alarm clock which holds a big mallet to pound on the sleepy owner. Adorable. However, when her eyes ill-fatedly set down on the price tags, her eyes turned bloodshot in an unexplainable bewilderment. For sweet Jesus, what she saw was blasphemy, I tell you. It was blasphemy. Why, the prices for such small, feckless things were insanely high!

After a few seconds, her brown orbs returning to normal from her whirled behavior earlier, she eyed Natsume, who was actually planning to buy her one of those insanely high-priced products and wouldn't even once regret losing such huge amount of money, in distraught. "He-he-he. Natsume-kun, let's go to some other store, eh?"

"Why? You don't like it?" Natsume was intrigued, he inspected the Pikachu alarm clock with colossal interest.

She shook her head repeatedly, strongly disagreeing. "N-NO WAY! In fact, I love them to confetti bits! But…"

"But?" He sideway glanced at her, tossing the alarm clock up and down like it was some kind of _cheap_ ball. When in money matters, it costs 899 rabbits.

Mikan's eyes widened as she panicked. "OI! OI! Put that down!" She surely didn't want to pay for that when it gets broken. "Do you _know_ how much that costs?"

"Yeah."

"Then why are you playing with it like it's _cheap_?" She asked, her brown orbs mirrored sheer horror. "FYI, that little thing is equivalent to _more_ than my 3 month allowance here in the academy!"

Then, Natsume smirked, arrogantly, superiorly. That smirk, arrogant and superior, produces a low-self esteem syndrome to anyone who sees it. Mikan was no exception. "Frankly, this is only one-third of my daily allowance."

Her mouth gaped open, bees ready to swarm inside. "I can't afford that!"

"Who told you that you'd be paying?" He stopped tossing the item, his tone raising slimly, his domineering pride being insensibly scathed.

"EH?"

"I'll pay."

"…re-really?"

"Tchyeah." Natsume grinned lopsidedly before drawing near the counter, initiating once more the slipshod tossing.

Imprudently gawping at his retreating figure, his sexy, _sexy_ back tackling her unsteady heart pace, Mikan was virtually consenting to the fact that she was starting to like his back. Though, half of her stubborn self refused to believe such ridiculous actuality. She chose to grasp a lie, the _denial_ part.

She was in denial.

But her body, her heart proved otherwise. The unsteady heart pace. The magnet-like attraction. Her body being hauled mechanically by Natsume's back, inducing, luring her to fall, fall, _fall_.

Even though his back continued to pull her close, she kept repelling obdurately. Mikan was _defying_ the law, resisting the flow of nature.

The law of magnetism. Same poles repel. Opposite poles attract. She managed to disprove that law. Unfortunately, no man can successfully beat nature unless you're a god or goddess. So, eventually, she gave in, letting herself be washed out by the wave of nature, drowning her into uncertainty and ambiguity. Also, drowning her into an unknown _paradise_.

_It's like a crashing wave. _

Natsume languorously came near the staggering brunette. His lopsided grin still flaunted arrogantly on his handsome visage. "Here, polka." He handed over the newly-bought Pikachu clock.

Mikan could not speak nor look at him straightly, flabbergasted she was. Her pale face unwontedly gaining a reddish hue.

"Oi, strawberry, you alright?" Not really a question, more of a trance-shattering statement.

_When it hits you, you can't evade. _

Because no matter how she pushed, no matter how she tried to repel that love, it kept on attracting her.

Opposite poles attract. That's the law of magnetism.

_The moment it hits you, you'll drown. Drown, drown, drown. _

-

-

_(Pika-pika-pikachu, Pika-pika-pikachu) _

_(Pika-pika-pikachu, Pika-pika-pikachu) _

The Pikachu alarm clock bawled again and again.

_(One more minute before commencing thundershock)_

_(Pika-one, pika-two, pika pika pika-three, pika-four, pika-five, pika pika pika-six)_

And the countdown begins before bestowing the electrifying shock upon the wobbly owner. The threat was considered ineffective due to the fact that the brunette was still repressed inside her fantasy of clouds, of dreams, of fluff puffs and of wonderland.

(thirty-six pika, huff, thirty-seven pika, huff huff, twenty-eight pika, twenty nine pika, thirty pika pika)

Even alarm clocks do get exhausted and due to exhaustion, the alarm clock forgot to count correctly, huffing in the process. There's a fifty-fifty chance of an alarm clock death. The alarm clock's efforts were being put to waste.

(fifty-eight pika, fifty-nine pika, sixty pika pika)

Pikachu's cheeks started generating electricity, a dangerously increasing volt was being gradually produced.

"PIKA—" Sparks of electricity, aflame. "CHUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

KAPOW! Thundershock was the only solution to awaken the gal, she was shocked _shitless_. Finally, yes. All thanks to Pikachu. Her eyes were not so groggy anymore. Her hair in a unique electrified hairstyle, literally. Her saliva solidified instantly. And her face got an instant tan.

How cool is that? Yeaah, cool.

Robotically arising from her pre-longed slumber that was disrupted by an inhumane thundershock, Mikan Sakura stepped inside the bathroom with equally robotic steps. Her consciousness was still in a state of shock. To recover her disoriented equanimity, she let the hot shower plunge her body with hot, steamy drops of water. Wash away, the grogginess, the shock, the tan, the hairstyle.

After a short, yet successful rejuvenation, she was alive _again_, breathing and out of shock. Mikan scampered towards her makeshift closet, and snatched a fresh, idle uniform to wear.

Today was a special, particular day for Mikan Sakura. Unlike the past days, months and even years, for once, she wasn't panicking hysterically to fix herself and go to class. Unlike the past days, months and even years, at long last, saliva projectiles directly from Jino-sensei's mouth won't be landing with a perfect 45 degree angle on her face.

"Thanks, Pikachu." Mikan thanked the non-living thing despite the thundershock she received earlier.

She paced out of the bedroom, eventually passing by the living room where Natsume was sleeping in at the moment. Not catching a glimpse nor a shadow of the aforementioned raven-haired guy, she couldn't help but sigh.

She wanted to stop hoping, stop expecting. But her heart was the one in control, taking a chance only to get hurt.

False hopes, no matter what, are still a form of hope, right?

_Do I only believe in false hopes?_

However, today was special.

The moment, Mikan set her foot outside Natsume's room, she felt the sudden rush of blood surging on the way to her cheeks, her heart deficiently losing a great amount of oxygen. She was _breathless_, her cheeks _ablaze_.

False hopes, white lies came shattering like a stained glass. For in front of her, the basis of those falsities, was the one who boldly shattered the hopes of fallacy—replacing them with concrete truths, of real and genuine hope.

_Natsume Hyuuga._

"N-na-Natsume-kun?" In a stuttering, shaking voice, Mikan called. "Y-you waited for me?" Huge curious eyes staring at the aloof man.

Natsume Hyuuga, his arms crossed in front, stared at her stoically before looking away. "Tch. Fuck, no." He retorted in denial, his eyes avoiding that huge _curious_ eyes. "It's merely a coincidence."

Mikan chuckled heartily, concluding immediately that Natsume would never admit it even if he gets killed because his pride and honor is much more important than his life. "Oh wow, what a _coincidence_!"

_You're like a crashing wave._

"Tch." He scowled, annoyed.

"Since it's a _coincidence_, let's go together then!" Mikan proposed, flashing an energized grin. Huge eyes stared up at him bigly with much eager.

Natsume grunted in reply plus a roll of the eyes.

_When you hit me, I could not evade. _

He spun around, carelessly placing his bag on his shoulder. "Fine."

And there it was. The same situation again—his perfect, sexy back facing her with a divine light and glowing seduction, screaming "HUG ME, COME ON, GLOMP ME!". Her body undergoing that peculiar, strange feeling of being drawn, magnetized. The only difference is, it got stronger. Probably, unmanageable but still controllable if and _only_ if her sanity was in tact. Thank goodness, she was still holding on to her sanity, _barely_.

_The moment you hit me, I drown, I drown, drown._

It was too late to save herself. The urge was too strong to bear. Mikan, who had a hard time controlling urges, made a flying leap coupled with a background of circles and dots of different colors to match. She leaped victoriously and tenderly, overbearingly attacked Natsume _behind_ with a _hug_.

Yes, yes a hug.

A hug full of rainbows and butterflies and pa-pa-paradise.

Almost paradise. Oh lala.

Her arms wrapped on his neck, as she hung loosely at him, her feet off the ground.

Natsume, in turn, was surprised at first. But eventually, he liked it. Heck, it was _almost_ paradise. He clutched her legs firmly to secure her from falling over.

_I can't save myself. I'm drowning, drowning. _

Indeed today was special. Because today, she drowned.

_But you saved me._

And was saved.

-

-

_HEADS UP! Natsume—chibi-form, in a devil costume—was casting a flame and says:_

_**REVIEW OR DIE.**_

-

-

_See you next time!_

_Thank you, thank you. ^^V_

-

-


End file.
